Since the launch of the Steam Deck, the market for great PC gaming handhelds has boomed. Just about every major manufacturer has bought into the concept and made their own gaming handheld. That includes the likes of Valve, Lenovo, Asus, and soon MSI. We've reviewed all of them, from the Steam Deck OLED to the Lenovo Legion Go, and love the experience of playing full-fledged PC games on the go. But since these devices are also capable PCs, gaming handhelds have the potential to be much more than just gaming consoles.

I recently tried using a mini PC as a laptop replacement, and as you might have expected, it didn't go that well. While it did work, the experience was clunky and there were a ton of limitations. In theory, a PC gaming handheld has all the hardware components required to succeed where the mini PC failed. Gaming handhelds, like my Asus ROG Ally, include a battery and a display. Is that enough to make it a capable and useful mobile workstation? Let's find out.

The premise

A PC gaming handheld should work just like any other PC, even on the go

For those unfamiliar, PC gaming handhelds cram the components of a decent gaming laptop inside a compact form factor. Aside from the laptop-class internals, they also feature a touchscreen display and inbuilt controllers. Some of them run Linux, and others run Windows. Either way, pretty much all PC gaming handhelds have their own version of "desktop mode," which allows you to use the device like any other computer.

I own an ROG Ally, and it runs Windows 11. This might not be ideal for using the device as a gaming handheld all the time, but it's excellent for using the ROG Ally as a computer. With a built-in battery, touchscreen display, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, all you need to comfortably use the ROG Ally as a mobile workstation is a keyboard and mouse. That could put the experience on-par with using something like a tablet or folding phone, at least in theory. It might even compare to using a laptop.

It was much better than the alternatives

Using a PC gaming handheld was easier than using a tablet for foldable

I was pleasantly surprised to find that using the ROG Ally as a laptop was not only doable, but good. Compared to other options, like a folding phone or a tablet, the gaming handheld's big advantage is the desktop operating system. I wouldn't recommend using your handheld as a laptop replacement without a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. The touchscreen controls and on-screen keyboard aren't great for getting real work done. However, with a keyboard, mouse, and stand, it's very easy to navigate Windows like you're used to. You might need to mess around with the display scaling and text sizes, but besides that, it's nearly plug-and-play (but without the cables).

By far, the best part of this setup is that there are no cables required. I used the Jsaux Modcase to prop up the ROG Ally with its built-in stand, a Lofree Flow as a keyboard, and an MX Master 3S as a mouse. More importantly, I let the ROG Ally run off its own built-in battery. Since gaming handhelds are designed to play AAA gaming titles on battery power, they are great at efficiency. On the ROG Ally, you can adjust the performance settings and power draw, further optimizing the experience.

It depends on what you do with the ROG Ally, but the handheld crushed web-based tasks and light photo editing on battery. You can get at least a couple of hours of battery with this handheld while doing light productivity work. To prove it, I wrote this entire article on my ROG Ally in a coworking space away from home. While the experience wasn't perfect, my productivity didn't drop one bit compared to using a laptop.

Laptops are still better in these ways

Most importantly, they have much bigger screens than a gaming handheld

There were two main issues with using a PC gaming handheld in place of a laptop. The first one is the display, because a PC gaming handheld display isn't the same size as a laptop display. They're usually around seven inches, whereas most laptops are in the 13 to 16-inch range. The bigger problem is certainly height. The size of the ROG Ally's screen was fine, but it won't be at eye level unless you have a large stand. My neck became a bit uncomfortable after looking down for a while during my use of the ROG Ally as a laptop replacement.

The other way that a PC gaming handheld is less capable than a laptop is in terms of ports. Most handhelds only have one USB-C port, which isn't ideal if you need to connect to wired peripherals or accessories. The good news is that you can fix this with a USB dock, like the one I reviewed from Ugreen. It's also great that many similar docks double as a stand, so you add two critical features with one accessory.

Should you use a PC gaming handheld on the go?

Actually, maybe — depending on your workflow and remote work needs

If given the choice, I'd probably bring my laptop with me instead of a PC gaming handheld. But if you're looking for a portable workstation, there's a case to be made for using a PC gaming handheld for that purpose. It's smaller than most laptops and more capable than a smartphone or tablet. Although I used fairly large peripherals, there are plenty of foldable keyboards and pocketable mice that barely take up any space. With a tiny keyboard, mouse, and a PC gaming handheld, you might be able to get unparalleled performance out of a mobile form factor.